PHOENIX FLAME By Sara Holland

January 5, 2024 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

PHOENIX FLAME By Sara HollandPhoenix Flame by Sara Holland
Series: Havenfall #2
Published by Bloomsbury YA on 3/2/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 270
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Maddie Morrow thought her problems were over. She saved the Inn at Havenfall--a sanctuary between magical worlds hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado--from the evil Silver Prince. Her uncle the Innkeeper is slowly recovering from a mysterious spell that has left him not quite human. And there are still a few weeks of summer left to spend with her handsome, more-than-just-a-friend Brekken, even though she can't stop thinking about Taya.

But Maddie soon realizes there's more work to be done to protect the place her family has run for centuries. She must embark on a dangerous mission to put an end to the black-market trading of magical objects and open the Inn's doors to Solaria, the once feared land of shapeshifters.

As she tries to accomplish both seemingly impossible tasks, Maddie uncovers family secrets that could change everything. What if saving everyone means destroying the only home she's known?

Short and Sweet Review

Phoenix Flame picks up where Havenfall left off. Maddie saved the inn and her uncle so everything should be smooth sailing but it’s not. Maddie has to stop the trading of black market items and open the door to shapeshifters before everything is on a track to being okay.

Honestly something was off about this book and I’m going to say it was the pacing. Everything was happening so fast and this book is short, so it felt like everything was shoved into 270 pages. I wanted to like this book but it just felt so disjointed. Maddie recently saved the inn and now she’s dealing with the fact that her brother is alive and not dead and some new antagonist has kidnapped her mom. When Maddie goes through one of the doors to another world I thought we would see more of the world and why each place was so special but that didn’t happen, it was like she was there for two very short chapters. I feel like I can’t say a lot about this book mainly because it was so short and there was too much going on. Maddie isn’t the best at decision making and she put herself in danger most of the time. A lot of questions weren’t answered and when things were resolved it was just a let down.

Overall, this sequel can be described as a let down. I was really excited to read this book but I feel like things were rushed through and it just wasn’t good.

Filed Under: Reviews

HAVENFALL By Sara Holland

April 15, 2020 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

HAVENFALL By Sara HollandHavenfall by Sara Holland
Series: Havenfall #1
Published by Bloomsbury YA on 3/3/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Hidden deep in the mountains of Colorado lies the Inn at Havenfall, a sanctuary that connects ancient worlds--each with their own magic--together. For generations, the inn has protected all who seek refuge within its walls, and any who disrupt the peace can never return.

For Maddie Morrow, summers at the inn are more than a chance to experience this magic first-hand. Havenfall is an escape from reality, where her mother sits on death row accused of murdering Maddie's brother. It's where Maddie fell in love with handsome Fiorden soldier Brekken. And it's where one day she hopes to inherit the role of Innkeeper from her beloved uncle.

But this summer, the impossible happens--a dead body is found, shattering everything the inn stands for. With Brekken missing, her uncle gravely injured, and a dangerous creature on the loose, Maddie suddenly finds herself responsible for the safety of everyone in Havenfall. She'll do anything to uncover the truth, even if it means working together with an alluring new staffer Taya, who seems to know more than she's letting on. As dark secrets are revealed about the inn itself, one thing becomes clear to Maddie--no one can be trusted, and no one is safe . . .

Short and Sweet Review

Havenfall is where Maddie spends her summers, it’s more than just an inn its a place where ancient worlds are connected with their own magic. Havenfall is an escape from reality, Maddie loves seeing her uncle Marcus and the Fiorden soldier Brekken. This summer Havenfall isn’t a sanctuary for Maddie its more of a mess. First a dead body is found on the grounds and then her uncle is injured and Brekken goes missing. Maddie ends up taking the role of innkeeper while her uncle heals. While being the innkeeper Maddie learns that there are dark secrets she didn’t know about the inn and now a new staffer, Taya seems to know more than she’s letting on.

This book was not what I was expecting. I thought that we’d learn more about the worlds and maybe Maddie would travel to them but she just stayed at the inn and the surrounding areas. I thought there’d be more detail about the other worlds but there wasn’t. Maddie was an okay character some of the decisions she made bothered me, she was stubborn and sometimes very clueless. There was also some romance between Maddie and Brekken and Maddie and Taya. I was not impressed. Maddie literally just met Taya, and Brekken was barely around so I don’t know why he was such a big deal when he was in 3 or 4 chapters at most. The romance aspect could have been omitted entirely.

I did like the mystery aspect and I wanted to find out who could’ve been doing all the shady stuff at the inn. I also liked how Maddie found out other things that had been going on at the inn.

This wasn’t the best book but it wasn’t the worst either. I would read a sequel just to see how things are going to develop.

Filed Under: Reviews